Dusk at Midnight
by twilight-fan020
Summary: What would happen if Bella was the vampire this time? What would the two of them have to go through this time? This is a fanfiction of twilight switched with the Denali coven, James and his coven and a few other friends of his. Make sure you review!
1. Back Again

Prologue

Never knowing this would happen, I felt compelled to regret this decision which unfortunately changed my existence forever. As I raced with time to save the one I loved, I couldn't help but wonder. Was this right? Should I save this poor, weak human from the evil and deception of our kind? Should I just let him die, and make my life simpler?

No.

Because I knew that deep inside my silent heart, this _was_ right. This poor, unfortunate soul was the one I loved. How could I possibly go on without him? How could I possibly live?

Chapter 1

If there was anything in the life a vampire that was a big nuisance, it would be high school. Reliving the same four years without a pause was aggravating and boring, at some points. A vampire should not have to suffer in a building occupied with humans.

But that was the way us Cullens lived. Carlisle wanted us to blend with humans and interact with them to show we are different than other vampires.

But I didn't.

No, I wanted to roam the world, see brand new and exciting things I had never seen in all my seventy years.

Carlisle tried to reason with me, telling me there's nothing out there that would catch my attention. _Lucky_ I thought. At least he had that experience before. His attempt at swaying me did no good. I was stubborn about my decision. But Alice doesn't see me leaving. I know the reason why.

Because no one else wanted to go. I wasn't about to go on my own without my family. The days would get even lonelier without my adopted family.

So I lived on… sort of, and suffered in the small city of Forks, Washington; a frightening little town in the middle of no where.

When Carlisle changed me in 1929, I accepted the fact that I would be a vampire the rest of eternity. I had no one left. But I didn't want to spend all eternity staying in the same little quaint town for the rest of it.

It was better, knowing I had others, others to help me through it… unlike Carlisle. He had been alone. All alone, ashamed of what he was. I would have gone savage if that was what it was like with me. Like Carlisle, like Alice.

Alice was different than anyone of us. When she woke up, she woke up alone. She didn't know who changed her, or why for that matter. She only knew that one day, she would find us, and that kept her from going crazy. She had premonitions that helped her calm herself.

We finally knew the truth when we ran into her pretender, James. He told us the very truth why he had left Alice alive. Her creator loved her, had feelings for her, a little human. James had been a tracker. He found Alice and she was the sweetest smelling human he had ever seen. He wanted her, but her creator wouldn't let him. James killed him but not before he had changed Alice himself. James left Alice alone but crushed the old vampire to extinction. He slipped out of our sight and we never caught sight of him again.

Most of us had been connected by blood. Carlisle had created: me, Rosalie, Esme and Emmett. Jasper and Alice were outside in a completely different family of vampires. But we took them in anyways as family.

Walking at an unbearably slow pace to match those of a human, we stepped to our lunch table with trays of food we never meant to eat. When you're a vampire, blood is the only food you'll eat. It's your breakfast, lunch and dinner. But we carried them around as props for the humans to see. I wouldn't eat it if I tried. It was very foul smelling.

We walked and talked, propping ourselves into our chairs, and scooting ourselves closer to the table. I heard Alice's tiny soprano laugh echoing through the lunchroom, but no one noticing. I also noticed Emmett's booming laugh. I wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. I was lost in thought. My thoughts abruptly vanished when I heard an intake of breath. I looked up to gaze at Alice. She had gasped, dropping her food to the floor, the metal dish cluttering to the ground, shimmering against the floor. She was frozen, her face still in the same distracted position. She held it long. Finally, after what seemed like ages, she looked up, her eyes full of despair and pure fear. I felt my shield stretching like a rubber band around our family, the faces of the people I loved: Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice. She finally spoke, quietly but full of torture.

"He's back," she whispered. I felt my dead stomach drop to the soles of my feet. Then it picked itself back up and venom churned in my mouth.

"Damn it," Emmett whispered back. Everyone had already forgotten their human charades, and we were still as statues, hovering over each other.

"James," we all replied simultaneously. We eyed each other nervously.

I knew he didn't quit, but I didn't think it would be so soon.

"We'll have to kill him this time," I said through my teeth. Automatically, four pairs of golden eyes looked up at me, questioning my sanity. I saw Rosalie's eyes sift reluctantly to me.

"Bella," she began. "He knows what to expect of us now. He knows how much our coven has grown in comparison to his one talent. We can't misjudge him." She paused, taking an unnecessary breath. "He can make friends."

My raw features sagged at the realization of those words. That was true, so very true. He _could _make friends, very powerful friends. There wouldn't be enough of us.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" I murmured. I began to loosen my stiff knuckles. Jasper was using his special gift of controlling the emotions in a room to calm things down before surrounding humans became suspicious. It was too late. Every person at the tables near us was staring at us, watching the solitary family tensing.

We all straightened up and began to look human again. After a long moment of silence, Jasper was the first to speak.

"Well, why don't we talk about this subject some other time? Maybe somewhere a little more private?" he muttered, rising from his chair. "Lunch is over, time for sixth period."

It was then when I realized, that the entire cafeteria was empty apart from our table. I was alarmed to see the vacant lunchroom. Our kind was easily distracted, and boy was I distracted.

Ignoring Jasper, I reached across the table to face Alice. "Alice, what exactly did you see?" I asked, my voice muffled. Even with the silent lunchroom, no one within two feet would hear me.

"He was crossing the border into Washington, his intentions on finding us. I don't really know what he's planning to do, because he hasn't even decided himself," Alice reviewed, louder than me, completely animated. Obviously, there was no danger of someone hearing.

I mulled over the facts and stood up fluidly to throw away my untouched food into the trash bin.

"I'll see you after school, Alice," I warned. She gave a slow nod. She knew which direction this conversation was headed.

Even being one of the last to leave the lunchroom, I was first to enter the classroom. Most of the kids stayed behind and chatted with each other so that gave me an advantage on the late factor. It also helped I had super sonic speed.

It wasn't long before other students began to enter the classroom. Mr. Banner sat at his desk, waiting impatiently for everyone to take their seats. When almost every seat was filled–apart from the one next to me-he began the lecture without another word. I took a perfect interpretation of the notes he intended us to write. I was able to do this and let my thoughts be far away from the mundane classroom. Vampires could think of many things at once and that came as an advantage to me. After his speech, he gave us 5 minutes to talk while he looked for the lesson plans.

That was when I saw him.


	2. First Smell

Standing there, with a bold confidence and a tardy slip in one hand was the most beautiful boy I had ever seen. I gawked at the perfection of his face. It was completely smooth with no indication of any flaws. It shocked me to see his face such a pallid color. He could pass for a vampire.

Then I realized as I met his eyes, that they were an emerald green. I was lost in the complexity of his eyes by the time I glanced at him. A voice inside my head told me to look away before he noticed I was gaping at his beauty, but the voice was very far away, distant. So I sat there like an idiot with my eyes wide with curiosity.

Since I was already making a fool of myself, I decided to scrutinize his features. He had a messy, bronze head of hair that made any model for a hair product commercial duck for cover.

His too perfect lips curved up into a small smile making his appearance even more breathtaking.

His figure was slim, muscled, not like a body builder but lanky, nothing like Emmett.

Something was gnawing at me that was ruining this perfect moment. It was bringing an envious emotion to my system, and I prayed it didn't show on my face.

By now, the mysterious beautiful boy is walking down the aisle to hand his slip to Mr. Banner, quietly explaining why he was late. Any other human would be far from hearing but with my enhanced abilities, I was able to hear his pure, velvety voice from a mile away.

"I'm sorry," he commented in a patronizing voice. The sound of his fluid and beautiful voice sent me shivering. "It's my first day here, and I've been walking hopelessly around this school to find this classroom," he chuckled.

"Well," Mr. Banner replied harshly, clearly upset that the boy missed the entire lecture. "Take your seat. I presume you know about the phases of mitosis. If you don't then… well it's a shame you missed the lesson."

"Thank you," he said simply.

With that, he strode down the room to sit next to me.

That's when it hit me like an iceberg.

The smell that was coming off his skin, radiating throughout the room drove me wild. It was almost impossible to resist the strange floral scent he gave off. All other feelings I had felt towards him were gone. Now the only thing I could think of was how bad I wanted him….

I watched him repulsively, repressing a snarl. His face turned ashy as soon as he saw my expression. He shrunk back in his seat, feeling defeated. All confidence he once had was shattered.

He threw his notes on the table and began to write in his elegant script nervously.

My face froze. I now knew what had bothered me before. I realized that I was jealous of this insignificant boy. I was jealous of his transcript, his ability to scheme other humans, his beauty. I snorted internally. How could I be so weak? So feeble? So… human?

As I thought this through, I also paid attention to the ache in my throat, measuring how far I could stand being this close to him and when I would bolt for the door to get fresh air.

I recognized my options. I could 1) lure him out of the classroom after school and satisfy my quenching thirst. But, then all the rules and morals Carlisle built for us would have disappeared, and we would have been no better than any other vampires. I quickly switched to my next alternative.

2) I could suffer in silence and trust I wouldn't have a lapse in control. That would be very dangerous for this poor human boy. I considered my last option.

3) I could leave. We would all leave. It would be what I've always wanted; to go some place else and live the exciting life I've always wanted. I frowned inside. How embarrassing would it be to have to leave because of a human _boy_? Running away was not an option here.

So I scratched option #3 off my mental list. I decided to go with #2. This way, I could at least live with myself. If I killed this poor boy (who at the moment I began to hate because of what he was putting me through) I wouldn't be able to face my family and tell them I failed. I'm sure Alice would see that and she would beat me to everyone else before I did.

Even with my mind concentrating on two aspects this hour, I always left some room to look at the clock so I could see how much longer I would have to endure _his _scent. I also remembered to vaguely listen to Mr. Banner as he repeated the lesson that the boy missed. I'm sure Mr. Banner didn't care if he failed. He just wanted to make sure he didn't look bad because one student was failing.

Relief washed through me as the bell rang. I fluidly rose, my books already in one hand and strode out the door too fast to look human. I didn't care.

I felt him burning a hole through my back with his disappointed eyes.


	3. Running Away

"What? You know Bella's going to slip soon. I mean, I have smelled someone that good before. It's impossible to resist!" Emmett laughed. Jasper and Emmett were gambling as usual. I would normally be okay with that, but not on that subject. That hit home.

I was driving home in my Mercedes Guardian when I heard them discussing this bet. The silver car had been a present from Carlisle and Esme on my last birthday before they started counting years when you were changed.

The car that was running at 110 mph brought to a standstill in the Cullen driveway. I quickly got out of the car and walked at a human pace inside the familiar home. I heard Rosalie shush them because I was right there on the steps. _Boy did that help_ I thought.

I walked inside and slammed the door leaving it shaking on its hinges. Everyone knew I heard. I decided not to say anything and went upstairs to my room. Alice saw what I was doing before I even moved.

"Wait," she called as I raced up the stairs. I stopped in my tracks. I turned to face her with chagrin clear on my face.

"You know how stupid they can be. Their just joking, Bella! Come down here!" she yelled as I began stomping back upstairs again petulantly.

I hesitated and then slowly walked down the staircase, one step at a time. I gave a strained huff and began my yelling session.

"What are you guys thinking? Is this some kind of joke to you? I'm risking some boy's life just by sitting next to him and you are over here betting on the outcome. Do you have any ideas to help me?" I shouted, anger rushing to my face though it would never show. Everyone became silent at that point and not even chirpy little Alice had anything to say. "Then shut the hell up, and let me figure this out!" At that point, every face in the room stared at me incredulously. Rosalie looked away, playing with a strand of her golden hair, trying not to look me in the eye. Emmett was close to bursting into laughter. Jasper was still with his emotions buried deep, nothing showing on his face. Alice was frowning.

I swear someday I would go mad.

I found I made my point and ended my screaming. I sat down and began to absentmindedly watch the TV, really listening to them.

"You see what you did?" Rosalie nudged Emmett with a small smile escaping from her lips. Emmett gave a big grin, showing all his teeth. Rosalie giggled.

Jasper muttered, "I still say two weeks." That was where I had it. My self control snapped like a rubber band. I rose lithely in a harsh movement and in two seconds, I was gone.

***

After running for 10 minutes, I found myself in Northern Washington. It was about time I'd hunted and if it was because I was forced out of my own home, so be it.

I prowled the forest, catching sight of a giant lion. As I caught the mountain lion by the jugular, I began to rethink my options.

Okay, so obviously the suffering in silence isn't going to work. I can't keep it up much longer. What if Jazz is right? What if two weeks is all I can take? What if less? I took out my sudden anger out on the animal and broke its legs. I suddenly thought of what it would feel like if it was that boy I was killing now. I shuddered. Yes, I was definitely going to have to do something. As I savored the blood of this lion, I finally made my decision. It was a terrible one and I didn't think my pride what cover it up but I was going to do it. Throwing aside the dry carcass, I knew now that I was going to have to choose the erased option #3. I was going to have to leave.

I would go up north, maybe to the Denali coven. I haven't seen them in so long. Maybe that would help me with my problem. Running away wouldn't be the right way, but what other choice did I have?

This boy aggrivated me! Don't I have enough to deal with without this pathetic human trying to ruin everything our family stands for? Do I have to add another worry onto my long list? I buried my face in my hands, and sat in the same position for what seemed like hours...

***

I stepped through the trees to show myself, once I got home. I ran threw the doors and to the living room. I found Carlisle sitting there, watching the news.

"Bella," he said, surprised. "How are you doing?"

"You know, too?" I moaned.

"Yes, I do."

"Then you should probably know what I'll do next," I murmured, ashamed that I was about to do this.

He must have known what I meant. "You can take my car. It has a full tank of gas."

He threw me his keys. I smiled at him half-heartedly. "Thanks, Carlisle."

He gave me a warm, apologetic smile and then I was off.

Being sure not to make contact with anyone, I stole away into the Mercedes S55 AMG. I probably looked like a burglar if I was seen by a neighbor but I didn't care because there were no neighbors and there were no humans.

I stomped on the gas pedal and raced down the road at top speed.


	4. Bad News

"Bella!" Eleazar cried gleefully as I shut the car door behind me. I was soon surrounded by kissing and hugging and meaningless chatter. I gave them each a pleasant smile and a "Hello."

Alaska was still the same way I remembered it. It was vast, and white. I wouldn't know if it was cold though. The snow what probably be warm under my hands. I was probably colder than the snow. The sun was reflecting off the snow which reflected off each of the vampires that stood by me eagerly, each looking as if diamond crystals were embedded into their skin.

My family friends began prattling as I forced a smile on my face, pretending to listen to their stories.

"So, it turned out not to be a wolf but a small little deer!" Tanya giggled mischievously. Tanya still was incredibly beautiful and still had that straight, strawberry blonde hair. That was the only bit I caught. After the excitement had toned down, Eleazar and Carmen took each of my hands, literally dragging me to their lovely home. Tanya, Irina, and Kate followed.

As we entered the cozy cabin, everyone began filling the home, taking natural positions as if their arrangement had been choreographed with me at the center of attention.

"So, how is Carlisle?" Carmen began with her thick, accented voice.

"Carlisle? Oh, he's good. Still a doctor," I replied reluctantly.

"And the rest? Esme? Rosalie? Emmett? Jasper? Little Alice?" Tanya prodded. Clearly she was extremely excited to have me here.

"Yes, they're all good. We're still in high school. Go Spartans!" I failed miserably at keeping it light. They noticed my strange behavior though they didn't say anything. They must be waiting for me to tell them, not wanting to force it out of me.

"Yes, it must be difficult to live the same four years over and over again," Eleazar chuckled.

"James is back," I blurted, slurring every consonant. Eleazar did a double take.

Every face froze and sharply turned to me with disbelief and shock clear on their faces. I continued.

"Alice saw James passing the border of Washington and… he's looking for us," I stammered, trying to keep my vowels articulate. No one moved. I decided to take advantage of this silence.

"She thinks he's after her mostly, to get revenge and we need to find a way to…" my voice faded until it broke. I lost my voice when I saw each of the vampires' faces. The disbelief had been erased only to be replaced with resentment and hostility.

The Denali coven hadn't been there to help us defeat James and they rued ever hesitating. This news hit a nerve. A big one apparently.

Irina's expression was more guilty than angry. I guess she believed this was more of her fault than anyone else's. She had put her foot down when we asked them to help us. She didn't want to get her family hurt especially on behalf of us. Her sisters couldn't betray their sibling so they refused to go as well, and Eleazar and Carmen wouldn't go without their family. But it was really Irina who had made the final decision. Everyone else was more willing than ever to go.

My body suddenly went rigid when I heard Kate speak.

"That devil damned to Hell dares to show his face again?" she hissed with a low, bitter snarl. All I could do was nod. For the first time ever as a vampire, I felt cold. It was more than that. I felt empty. It seems as if Eleazar was struggling the most to keep his voice even.

"This time, we will help," he whispered, straining to keep his voice from turning frantic with rage.

I never realized that this is what I would try to fix when I got here to Alaska. At the time, my main worry was staying away from _him_. I felt guilty I didn't even know his name. How could I run from someone I didn't even know the name of? In those old black and white TV shows, whenever the villain's name was mentioned, everyone on screen would fake gasp in horror. I couldn't even gasp.

I gave that same silent nod.

Eleazar nodded back and immediately dictated, "Get your belongings together. We are leaving now." His voice was icy and cold.

Every one of us had our eyes wide in shock. I quickly added, "You don't have to come right away. Alice doesn't see him coming for more than a week." I hoped this would keep him from being irrational. He sighed theatrically.

"Okay," he said, his voice weary, aged. "But you must promise us that as soon as he is even within 100 kilometers, you will call us. You can't let us miss the fun." Even though with everything that had just been terrifyingly discussed, he still managed to grin at me, but it didn't touch his eyes. They were still bleak with a glint of anger tinting around the edges. I suppressed a shudder.

After the scariest part of the conversation was over, things turned back to normal. We started smaller conversations talking as merrily as if we were talking about the weather.

Soon, it was time for me to get back. It had been nearly a week since I had stayed there and I think that was more than enough time to get over _his _scent. Each gave a heart-felt goodbye and gave me a meaningful hug.

"Take care. Don't be stupid," Tanya warned, waving a finger at me.

"Have a nice trip home. Don't let us miss out on the fun," Kate repeated Eleazar.

Irina just smiled halfheartedly.

"Tell Carlisle we miss him," Carmen commanded in her Spanish accent.

"Remember to let us know," Eleazar cautioned me. "Goodbye sweetie."

And that was it. I turned around to wave at them once more and then I was off, speeding into the sunset like in those happy endings in movies.

But this was not happy, and definitely not an ending. Tomorrow I would have to face the most dangerous thing out there at this moment. _Him._


	5. First Day Survived

_It's better to just get this over with _I thought as I entered the biology classroom. I was clearly in no rush to get to class but still I ended up being only the fourth one in the room. So I was surprised to see _him _sitting in his original seat. I had expected him to switch seats. But then again, what other seats were available?

He looked just as nervous as I was when he looked up to gaze into my eyes for only a second. Then he dropped his eyes to his textbook, pretending to trace the patterns on the cover.

I took a deep breath. This would be the last one I would take for a while. I felt like 100 tons as I shuffled my feet over to my seat, still somehow seeming to look graceful.

A minute passed and he still hadn't said anything. This was not a good sign. I decided to introduce myself.

"Hi," I said curtly. Not exactly a fascinating conversation to strike up. He gazed at me with wide eyes.

"You're speaking to me?" he asked, shocked.

"Why wouldn't I?" I wondered, confused.

"Well," he began. "The first day you saw me, you hated me for no good reason." He paused. "And then you went away…" he let his thoughts trail off. He turned to look at me with a questioning gaze. "Why did you hate me so much?" he whispered. "How did I offend you so strongly?"

What was I supposed to tell him? That he smelled delicious to me and I wanted to eat him?

"I don't know," I answered, giving up on whatever excuse my mind had rendered. This response didn't satisfy him. "But I'm willing to start over," I tried pathetically. I wasn't surprised that he turned his head back to the board.

I decided to keep trying. But why was I trying so hard? So, the kid didn't like me. Why was I trying so hard to make things right between us? Whatever the reason, I kept up with my lame intent on making him like me.

"By the way, I'm Bella Cullen," I told him shyly. He didn't turn to face me again.

"I know," he responded. I waited a moment.

"So are you going to tell me your name?" I tried leading him on.

"Edward Masen," he responded, still not looking at me. At the moment, I was glad he didn't, so he couldn't see my response to those two words.

I felt as if a great burden had been lifted off my shoulders. I knew his _name_. I would never have to call him _him_ again. Then my expression changed from absolute joy to sour. Why was that so important to me? Why did I have to be so damn happy that I knew his name? Edward. It was such an old name. Nothing absolutely special about it. Then again, my entire family had old names. Though somehow I was glad I could call them by their true names. I was more than glad now. I was delighted. I finally remembered that I only had an hour to get on _Edward's _good side.

"Look," I rushed, "I'm sorry if I offended you. I don't know what was wrong with me then but I'm on my best behavior now." My excuse was miserable. But then again, Edward always did the most unexpected things. So I wasn't at all as surprised as I should have been when he turned to face me again.

"Can you just promise me one thing?" he asked. I was confused. What did he need me to promise him? If it wasn't not to eat him alive?

I nodded in response. "Just tell me if you're going to have a strange mood swing at any time soon, so I can be prepared for it."

Was that all? That was such an easy wish to fulfill. My mood automatically brightened. "Sure," I replied, a smile beginning to linger at the corners of my mouth. He was a little confused but then all of his perplexity seemed to just melt away and he smiled a crooked smile that left me breathless, even when I didn't have to breathe. We stayed like that for a moment, staring at each other and smiling dumbfounded.

It made both of us jump out of our seats when Mr. Banner called the class to attention.

"Class I hope you paid good attention on the lecture yesterday because we are now identifying the phases of mitosis. Now on each desk I have placed a microscope and 4 slides. You must identify all 4 phases." The entire class moaned in correspondence to Mr. Banner's demand.

That was the only instruction he gave and it was enough. I had done this lab so many times I could do it in my sleep. But that was before I had been distracted by beautiful boys.

Edward watched me, his palm rested against his cheek. He was smiling at me. All of his anger seemed to have just disappeared. This made concentrating a little harder to do.

I had never felt this emotion before. Energy raced through my dried veins and I soon recognized the emotion. Adrenaline rushed through my body, making my dead heart shiver to live.

My fingers seemed to slip from the microscope as I toyed with the iris. Why was this taking me so long?

Eventually, Edward reached his hand across the table and I shied away from his touch. I wouldn't be able to handle that much contact. My reaction hadn't seemed to affect his confidence.

"May I?" he breathed, sending my head swimming with his sweet fragrance. I clawed at the edges of the desk trying to keep myself from going crazy. Patience, self control… That was all it took. But that was easier said than done.

I watched him incredulously as I shifted the microscope over to his direction. I was too dizzy to remember that I was supposed to hear a screeching noise as the microscope scraped the texture of the desk.

It took him much less time than it ever took me to balance the lense out. He watched into the glass intently and muttered, "Anaphase," scratching it into his notebook. He set down his pen and offered the microscope to me. I took it with shaky fingers. I already saw what phase it was just by looking at the slide but I had to pretend to look for it.

I mumbled, "Prophase," before giving Edward back the microscope.

"I don't believe I introduced myself _properly,_" Edward explained. "I'm Edward Masen." He reached out his hand to shake mine. I snaked my arm away. That didn't stop him. I breathed out a hiss as his warm hand touched my ice cold skin. He didn't seem to notice the difference between our two temperatures. I leveled myself up and shook his hand firmly. No human had ever been this close to me. They tended to shy away from our entire family. We seemed to be aliens to them.

"Have you lived here long?" he finally asked. I was startled by his sudden questioning. But it was clear in his eyes that he was as interested in my lifestyle as I was to his. If only he knew he wanted to know the lifestyle of a vampire. I laughed in my thoughts.

"Um… about two years," I answered nervously. "Well, what about you? Where did you come from?" _Can you go back? _I didn't want to be feeling this now.

"I came from Chicago, Illinois. I lived with my parents Edward and Elizabeth Masen until I was twelve and then I went to go live with my uncle."

"Why?" I asked, my tone layered with curiosity.

"Well," he began as if it were hard for him to explain. "My father had gotten a job as the State Senator."

"Wow," was my only response.

"Yes, and that meant he had a lot of traveling to do, back and forth with my mom and…"

"And you didn't want to be stuck in the middle of it," I interjected.

"Yes," he answered as if I was the only person in the world who truly understood him. "I decided to come live here in Forks, Washington while my parents went to go live in Washington D.C."

I smiled sweetly. I had figured out a small percentage of the convoluted workings of his mind. But there were even more questions I needed to ask him. I was not satisfied yet. I was quickly disappointed as the bell rang, seeming louder than ever. I wasn't sure but I thought that he was mirroring my reaction to the bell. Neither of us wanted to separate.

That was what scared me. I mumbled, "Goodbye," quietly and stole away from the room like last week but I was not panicking over his delicious scent.

I was panicking that I would be away from him for a whole twenty-four hours.


	6. The Talk

Author's Note:

Please make sure you all review my story!! I need feedback. I base my entire story off of opinions reader voice. If you can help me with any of this, please review!!!

Driving home, I felt strangely edgy. I hadn't had enough time to recover. I could still smell Edward's sweet perfume like it was tattooed onto my brain. I was too impatient to walk at a human pace into the house. I rushed up the stairs and in through the door.

Alice was eyeing me suspiciously, one eyebrow raised. I grinned sheepishly.

Without looking at anyone else on the couch, I raced up the stairs, blushing though it would never reach my face. Alice went right up after me.

She skipped through my door and went to go sit on the loveseat.

Oh no. She saw.

"Hi, Bella," she began, her voice ringing like chimes.

"Hi," I mumbled inarticulately.

"So, how was school?" she said after a moment of silence. Why was she beating around the bush?

"Good," I replied. This meaningless chatter began to get on my nerves. "Look, I know what you saw. So just tell me what you think. I'm an idiot. I know. Why should I be feeling these feelings? I don't know and I can't help it. I feel… anxious when I'm not around him," I paused, looking for her reaction. "I don't know what to do, Alice," I whispered. "Help me."

I felt a sudden urge to grope onto her and start sobbing like a misunderstood teenager using her best friend as a tissue, but I knew better than that. That wouldn't happen even if I tried. So instead, I cradled my face in my hands. I wished so much that I could just crawl under a rock and never show my face again.

All the while, I hadn't predicted what her answer would be. I looked up and she was confused, her face settling into a hard mask that seemed impenetrable.

It was silent for a while.

"Do you really think I'm mad at you for your decision?" she finally spoke softly.

"Aren't you?" I asked, entirely bewildered now.

"No," she smiled, laughing now. "I think it's great that you found someone. It's about time I'd say. You've been alone too long."

"But, I almost killed him. He's human…" I trailed off, still baffled at her sincerity.

"Yes, but you didn't. And just because he's human doesn't mean that your love is unrequited. Don't give up. From my visions, it looked like he was madly in love with you. It looked like you two were meant to be."

My entire being fluttered to life, and I was grateful for that last sentence. There was no hesitation now. But I hadn't accounted for one thing.

"But what about James?" I asked. As I said his name, Alice's eyes narrowed. "If Edward will be here when James visits… I don't want him even within the country if it meant putting him in danger." She prolonged the silence, pondering over that dilemma.

"I don't know," she finally said, defeated. "I guess we'll just have to keep a close eye on him." I fell quiet.

Then a small smirk spread across my face. Alice looked at me as if I were delusional. "Really?" I smiled. "He's madly in love with me?" Alice played along.

"Yes, you should see the way he stares at you. It's like a blind man finally seeing the sun for the first time."

I sighed. "Do you know what I did when I… ran away?" I asked hesitantly.

Alice nodded once.

"I didn't mean to bring it up. It just sort of came out of me. Then Eleazar was so mad. He was irrational." Alice pressed her mouth into a thin, hard line. "Well, you know the rest. Alice," she looked up at me with headstrong eyes, "They're still regretting not helping us the last time. They will do anything and everything to help us win this time," I paused before adding, "I'm scared."

I didn't like expressing my emotions out loud. It made me feel weak, fragile. But Alice should know this. She placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to soothe me.

"Don't worry, Bella. We won't let them get hurt, and you know we will all have an advantage with you. I've never seen such a strong shield."

"You haven't seen many shields," I protested. She pouted.

"Bella," she sang. "Don't worry. We'll all be fine. What could happen?"

I cringed internally. She had no idea. I didn't trust her visions. They weren't stable. How did she know? One quick change of a decision could alter the entire future. So I knew the answer to this rhetorical question.

A lot. A lot could happen.


	7. The Tree of Knowledge

Author's Note:

If I have no drive to finish this story, I don't believe I can do a good job. If you guys want my story to finish, review it! That would help a lot. Tell me what you think. Comments, Questions, Concerns?

I stole down the stairs and out the door, anticipation overriding my other emotions. Grabbing my backpack, I rushed out through the door in a blur.

"What is she doing?" I heard Rosalie hiss. "We still have half an hour before school."

I almost heard Alice smile.

Jamming the key in ignition, I stomped on the gas pedal and zoomed away from my home.

I was smiling the whole time. I was finally going to see him again. Twenty-four hours was too long and unbearable. I needed to see him, now.

I was shaking so hard, I was almost vibrating. There was no fear now. I didn't have to concern myself with Edward becoming my snack. My talk with Alice had confirmed that issue.

I was at Forks high school in two minutes with the rate I was going at. I suddenly realized I would be alone for thirty minutes. Why did I leave so early? I had been so eager to see him again, so I forgot that he wouldn't be here so early in the morning. I sighed. I should have thought this through.

So, instead I looked over my homework. I knew it was useless but, what else was there to do?

Before I knew it, cars began filling the parking lot. I quickly shut my Trigonometry book and hid it away. The time had come.

I was disappointed when I realized I would only see him in one class, biology, the second-to-last class of the day. Oh, well. At least I would see him for part of the day. This made the day drag on even longer.

English and trig was boring and monotonous as usual. I listened but I was also far away, thinking of Edward.

Soon, it was lunchtime. I grabbed my tray and went to sit by my family. My excitement couldn't be contained. I was bubbling with gratification that I would see him in only forty-five minutes.

Soon Rosalie asked peculiarly, "So Bella, where'd you run off to this morning?" She smiled with overconfidence. Would Alice tell them? No. I decided to play dumb.

"Nothing really. I just sat down on the picnic tables to look over my trig homework." Rosalie pressed her lips together to conceal her laughter. Just then, I saw him.

He sat there, as majestic as a god. God wouldn't even suffice. He was an angel sent down from heaven. He smiled my crooked smile when he met my eyes. I wondered why he was sitting alone today. Then again, I had never seen him in lunch; so how would I know if he sat with anyone regularly?

He motioned with his finger to join me. My expression was joyous. I grabbed my food blindly, and walked over to seat myself next to him. I struggled to keep from bolting into his arms.

"Bella," Jasper called, bewildered. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm just going…" I mumbled, waving my hand at them.

From my peripheral vision, I saw Emmett and Jasper eyeing each other. Alice was still smiling. I guess she was happy that she helped in setting us up. But, wait. We weren't even going out. Were we? I was confused.

More impatient than ever before, I glided towards him with my eyes never leaving his face. He was still more beautiful than I ever deserved.

Soon, I was inches away from his face. Was he really this beautiful? It seemed like this entire week had been a long, pleasant dream. I shouldn't want him so much, but I did. The worst part was… I didn't even want to wake up.

"Hi," Edward said in his silky voice.

"Hey," I murmured.

"So how was your day yesterday?" he asked, eyeing his apple before he took a bite out of it. I cringed at the sweet, tangy scent it gave off. Disgusting.

He saw my expression. "You don't like apples?" He asked, quizzically.

"No, I'm not a fan of them," I smiled, enjoying an inside joke he would never get. I sat in a relaxed position and began to think hard. I stared at him questioningly.

"What?" he finally asked.

"I decided I'm giving up!" I announced, throwing my hands in the air before they gently reached the table without even a thud.

"On what?" he asked surreptitiously.

"On being good, staying away from you."

"This is bad?" he wondered.

"Terrible," I answered simply.

"How?" he leaned casually, his hand rested against his cheek. I found myself moving forward as well. It was like there was some kind of gravitational pull leading me towards him. I thought my answer over, making sure it was vague.

"Let's just say… The distinct line between wrong and right is blurring."

He mulled over my response, trying to decipher my double-meaning.

"What could happen?" he soon asked.

"I can't tell you," I responded, my mouth lingering from a straight face to a small grin. I was enjoying this conversation so much.

His smile automatically drew down into a frown. "Why not?"

"It's a secret," I replied, showing my white teeth. The color seemed to drain from his face, if that was even possible. He chose his words carefully.

"Can you tell me?" he asked gravely.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore," I laughed lightly. I then recognized my responsibility to this conversation. If it wasn't for me, this discussion would turn serious and secrets would be spilling out the room left and right. I gulped loudly and theatrically.

"You're not telling me something. Something big," he summarized.

"Yes," I answered, my voice thick with severity. My word seemed to bite at him.

"Well," he tried, "what if you don't tell me, and I just ask you questions. You would reply yes or no." I liked this game.

"Sure," I replied, a full-fledged grin on my face, spreading from ear to ear.

"Ok," he began. "Am I in danger?"

"Yes!" I laughed, my eyes rolling to the ceiling.

His expression never changed. "Am I in danger from someone you know?"

"No, not really," I replied. I suddenly remembered James. I cringed internally. No, not really was a perfect answer.

His expression turned solemn and his voice became thick with a kind of authority I never knew he had. It almost made me proud to know such a wonderful person. "Am I in danger from you?" he asked, looking up at me to gaze into my eyes intensely.

I suddenly lost my voice. I cleared my throat to strain out one syllable. "Yes."

"Would I find this secret… disturbing?" he stressed to find the correct word.

"Depends," was my only reply.

"What would it depend on?" he laughed quietly, searching for some farce in my eyes. I was sure he would only find seriousness.

I reached over the table to breathe in his face. How amazingly easy this was becoming! "Tell me Edward," I felt a strange sense of high as I said his name for the first time, "do you believe in monsters?"

He stared at me, speechless and dumbstruck. I wasn't sure if he was still dizzy from the fragrance all humans found attractive or my unusual question. If it was my scent then, it was payback. He could dazzle me as well as I could dazzle him.

He seemed collect his expression together to tell me, "Shouldn't we get going to class?" he asked, pointing at the silence of the lunchroom. I seemed to be very distracted these last few weeks.

"Shoot," I cursed, rising in one fluid motion to dump my tray.

"Weren't you going to eat any of that?" he asked, pointing at my untouched food.

"No, I'm not hungry," I replied, feeling ashamed that I wouldn't give him full answers. I wanted to tell him everything.

He seemed to collect all the clues from our conversation today. I was really hoping he would figure it out soon. It was only a matter of time before I began blurting answers across the room. He was smart, though. He could figure it out.

The rest of the day went the same way. He would meet me after each class, trying to put the pieces together to fix the puzzle. And I was sad to say, I wasn't so entirely worried of him finding out. At points, it would get tough. I wanted to be as vague as possible, but it wasn't always easy.

"So you didn't answer one of my earlier questions," he had said.

"And which one was that?" I asked cautiously. I had to be prepared.

"How was your day yesterday?" he said, repeating himself from earlier at lunch. "What did you do?"

This question was difficult because after all of my half-truth answers, I found myself pleading to my wise side, to tell him everything. Everything and anything that had ever happened to me in my whole life. I wanted to tell him, but obviously, I couldn't. It took more strength than any other question to answer this question obscurely.

"Just sat around, watching TV," I replied bitterly, grumbling that my wise side had won the fight. It would be worth it, I had told myself. I wouldn't tell him the truth but he would figure it out on his own. Everyone was safe. Everyone would win.

The rest of the day went on like that. At the end of the day, we bid each other a goodbye glumly, not wanting this perfect day to end. I wished that I could see him tomorrow, but the family was hunting early.

"Are you coming to school tomorrow?" I asked, with pain in my eyes that seemed to scream at him.

"Yes, why wouldn't I?" he replied reluctantly.

"Because I won't be here. My family is starting our camping trip early this week," I grunted at how inconvenient it was to be a vampire sometimes.

"Oh," he replied weakly. "I heard your family went camping a lot. Well, I hope you have fun." He tried to smile at me half-heartedly, but as soon as he lost his gaze on me, his forced smile fell and he walked over to his car, worried.

Again, I wanted human abilities. I wanted to be able to just sit there in my car and pour out tears for hours on end, not caring who would watch. I couldn't leave him. But I had to. In contrast to my mood this morning, I drove slowly out of the parking lot, my eyes full of sadness. I didn't meet his gaze for fear I would jump out of the car and rush to his side to comfort him as well as myself and tell him I would never leave; for his sake and mine.

But I couldn't. So, I never looked. I never again saw that pained expression as I drove away. Life seemed to wilt past me, my mood affecting every living thing, as I drove down the street, choking out tearless sobs.


	8. Catfight

Sitting on a large rock, I looked up at my brothers. They were wrestling again. There was hardly any time where they wouldn't be trying to rip each other's heads apart. Even though Carlisle had strictly told them not to, they continued when Carlisle never knew. It had started to get annoying; I was aggravated at how often they would kill each other. I wish Carlisle could read minds so he could know what they were doing.

There were those kinds of gifted vampires, mind readers. The only one I knew was Aro in Volterra. He was able to read every mind someone's ever had just by contact. Wouldn't it be great to have that gift instead of mine.

What was the use of mine? I protected my mind and also others, but it had holes! Alice could see me just as well as anyone else. Jasper could perform his gift on me without even breaking a sweat. If Jane or Alec (the two twins from the Volturi Guard) tried to finish our family off, what would happen? Would we be protected? Would their gifts be one of those special gifts that found loopholes in my shield? I felt sudden fury at this thought and I clenched my teeth together angrily.

Jane had an extraordinary gift. She was able to burn you right on the spot; not physically, though. It would be internally. You would writhe in agony until she broke her gaze off of you. I shuddered.

Alec along with his sister also performed his gift within the mind. But in contrast to Jane, you wouldn't feel pain. On the contrary, you would feel nothing; absolutely nothing. You would be sightless, deaf, and senseless. I gave another quick shudder. I pulled my thoughts away from dangerous vampires to watch amusedly at Jazz and Emmett.

Jazz shot like a cobra reaching for Emmett's long, muscled neck, that was unprotected and in view. One second Jasper was rocketing towards Emmett, arms ready to grab hold of his neck and the next second, he landed on the spot where Emmett had originally stood. Emmett had dodged from Jazz's hold, taking a leap to the side, a triumphant grin spreading across his face in an unusual movement… mockery? Then it was Emmett's turn to strike.

Emmett was less graceful than Jasper; a grizzly while Jazz the gazelle. Jasper had more experience than Emmett so he was more skilled than him. Emmett seemed uncomfortable with the strange, eccentric moves Jasper performed. It was a choreographed dance.

It would have been a blur to human eyes but with my acute vision, I could see every detail, every false move made. It wasn't even two minutes before Jasper lunged for an open spot and stroke his teeth lightly to the back of Emmett's neck. Emmett made a face, sulking. Then his mood automatically brightened.

"Don't worry," he laughed confidently, "I'll get you next time!"

"You wish!" Jasper snorted, stealing away from the colorful forest around us. Emmett followed his lead.

In two seconds, it was quiet. Alice had been long gone, hunting farther away. So now it was me… and Rosalie. The silence was suffocating me. Without the familiar sound of clawing and grunting, it was almost too quiet. I let my eyes wander, analyzing the forest floor beneath me, avoiding Rosalie's glare. I felt her eyes stabbing at me each time my eyes briefly flickered to her face. What was her problem today?

Her face was twisted in offense, watching me with a disappointed glare. After a few moments she told me what was eating at her.

"Traitor," she mumbled acting like a stubborn, petulant little girl. I found this utterly amusing. I laughed out loud. She gave me a repulsed glare.

"You think this is funny? Do you know what danger you're putting all of us into by hanging out with a mere human?" she spat the words out vigorously. "What if he found out?"

I cut her off. "What if he did?" we both tensed as if about to pounce on each other. I was the first to relax my body. She mirrored my movements.

"You didn't," she hissed. I looked at her with defeated eyes.

"No, I didn't… at least, not yet," I looked up at her.

"Are you planning to tell him?" she asked, a barking laugh escaping from her lips. Underneath all of that sweetness that she shows Emmett, she is a total bitch. I began to hate her. Her face was torn between disbelief and amusement.

"No," I snapped. "I plan to let him figure it out on his own."

This time, she was the one to laugh. "Ha!" she snorted. "I doubt it. Humans are just pets. They couldn't even count the freckles on the back of their hands."

"He will!" I yelled. "He has to." She had found a weakness; a flaw in my plan. He might not ever find out. No. I had to believe he would. "You don't know him like I do. He's intelligent… and sweet… and the most amazing _man _I ever met."

"Ooo, looks like Bella's got a crush! Give me a break," she snorted.

This was it; the crack I had been waiting for. A few more witty remarks and I would snap.

"Say one more thing about my boyfriend, I swear I'll…"

She interjected, "Wow, boyfriend! Does he know?" My head began to fill with rage. If I had any blood left in my body, it would have been boiling by now.

I leaped.

Closing around her throat, I tried to rip her head off. She dodged furtively out of my way and our catfight began.

***

I stomped out of the forest, my hair in a neat mess. I had sleeked my hair down so that it wouldn't look like a tornado on my head but of course, you could tell. As soon as the guys took one look at our unkempt appearances, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Rose?" Emmett asked. "What's going on?"

"Bella," Jasper asked exasperated, "What happened to you two?"

"I scratched her," I announced triumphantly. Emmett blinked and then burst into a roar of laughter. Jasper joined him. I considered smacking the both of them.

Rosalie was standing to the side, rolling her eyes. She had a bright idea as her eyes lit up. She shot up to Emmett and cut off his grumbling laughter, forcing his mouth to be preoccupied. She kissed him for two entire minutes without the necessity of breathing. This time, Jasper and I rolled our eyes in correspondence.

Soon, Rosalie pulled away and wiped the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand. "See, that's what happens when you have a man that you can actually kiss!" She trilled a high pitched giggle. She sped out of view inside the house, laughing all the way. I began fuming.

"Hey, Emmett," I asked, "Would you mind if I ripped your girlfriend's hair off her head?"

"Sure, no problem. Knock yourselves out," he replied casually.

I sped up the stairs in a blur, with my intentions on ripping off every piece of Rosalie.

At least she could put herself together again… Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall…


	9. Scar

I watched the news, with my backpack seated neatly on the couch beside me. There was a new segment of a robbery downtown. The man was seen in Port Angeles last night before the raid. Apparently, the police never caught the criminal and he's still out there. I winced. Hopefully, Edward hadn't been anywhere near Port Angeles.

I admitted wholly that I indeed had feelings for him other than thirst. I was sure there wasn't any girl in this small pathetic town that wouldn't stare at him dumbfounded. I was completely set on hoping that Edward would figure out my dark and "disturbing" secret, but what if that was wrong. What would happen? Would he run? Would he stay but look at me everyday like the monster I am? That is what I am… a monster. I'm sure that not even the truest of love can change that. Maybe I didn't want him to know…

What am I saying? I don't want him to know?

Of course I want him to know! He deserves to know. How can I live with knowing that everyday with me, he is endangering himself, though he doesn't even know it!?!

Maybe there is still time. I know it's too late for me. My silent heart has been set and that can't be changed; but maybe if he still doesn't feel that way for me (or if he ever will) when he realizes what I am, maybe he would stay away. Tell me I repulse him. Tell me he didn't ever want to see me again…

I was instantly pulled away from my thoughts when I heard a clearing of a voice. Alice stopped me at the right time. She beckoned for me to come and we were soon out the door.

The sky was a murky, gray color today. There would be a storm today.

Alice was driving me today in her 911 Porsche. She occasionally looked through the rear-view mirror to check if that really was my expression. Was it really that bad? Weakened? Defeated?...

"It's going to storm today," Alice announced.

"Ya, I figured," I responded, my voice cracking at the end. I _was_ that bad.

"We're making plans to play some baseball today. You in?" she asked hopefully; probably feeling pity for me. I decided to join in.

"Sure," I answered half-heartedly. "I'm in." It was silent for a bit.

"Maybe you could bring Edward," Alice asked in a patronizing voice. What a coincidence. That was just what I was thinking about…

"I don't know Alice," I explained. "I mean, he hasn't even figured it out!" I responded getting angrier. "And what if Rosalie shatters his confidence like I did that first day…" I trailed off, no need to go on anymore. She knew everything.

She seemed to contemplate her next words, choosing them carefully. "Just listen to what he has to say first."

That was the last word that was spoken that morning.

***

I was more optimistic as I entered the lunchroom. Seeing Edward would definitely dampen this dark day. He was like my own personal sun sent right from heaven; my perfect angel.

I was confused to see a huddled mass around the table we had sat at last week. They were talking to him, I was sure. I quickly picked up on the conversation with my enhanced hearing.

"Oh my God, was it scary?" It was Jessica Stanely, attempting to flirt with him by pretending to care about his safety, no doubt.

Edward didn't say much. He was completely reluctant to give a tell-all. As soon as he saw me, a soft smile reached his expression. There was no fear, only gratitude that I was here and that he was here. Whatever it was, it must have not been that bad. I walked over to the table, feeling uncomfortable with all of these human faces.

As soon as my first steps were taken, several pairs of eyes looked towards me with hatred in their eyes. I was clearly not invited. This must have been their way of trying to exclude me. The feelings in the entire group's eyes were the same except for one pair of eyes that watched me contently, his eyes pleading for me to come forward. His eyes were enough to send me straight into his arms and hug him as much as I could, probably breaking his frame, doing so.

I walked with no hesitation in my footwork. I heard Edward whisper to the gathered crowd that it was okay and they could leave. Each face carried a disappointed glance intended on me as they walked back to their own tables. There was only Jessica Stanely that showed any hostility towards me. She shot a fervent, disgusted glare at me, analyzing me, looking for some evidence that she was better than me. That would have struck me very funny if I hadn't been so concerned right now.

I sat down next to the most perfect person in the entire world. When I was sure that no one would hear, I leaned over to breathe in his face.

"What was all that about?" I asked, truly worried. There was a reaction he didn't want me to see as I bent my head down, avoiding his gaze. I snapped my head up see it. I caught it. "Edward," I asked with a severe tone. "What happened?"

This was the first time I had ever heard my perfect angel stammer. "Nothing. It's just something that happened in Port Angeles last night. It's no big deal."

"Don't even try that on me. Tell me, what happened?"

Then I remembered this morning's news. An armed robber that had never been caught…

I gasped.

Edward immediately froze at my side. I heard his heart falter. I noticed something I hadn't figured before.

"A scar," I whispered faintly, pointing at the hair line at his forehead. I wanted to faint, leave this world for a moment to sort all of the chaos being thrown inside my cramming head. I heard him take in a breath. He held it so long that I would have thought his face had turned purple. I was startled to hear his breath stutter. I looked up to gaze in his eyes.

There was nothing joyful about the expression he held on his face now. The sweet, soft smile was replaced. Now, he showed nothing. It killed me to see him suffer inside; I would much rather he shared everything. I can't stand all this… _feeling_ any longer.

We sat there, staring at each other's reaction for about fifteen minutes. It wasn't until the bell rang that we finally spoke.

"I'll see you in bio," Edward called, walking away swiftly, never meeting my beaten expression. That was true. I did feel like I had been beaten. I felt as if I had been beaten, thrashed at, whipped, and every other human pain thinkable.

** *

I entered bio last, to my surprise. I walked down the aisle to sit next to Edward without looking at him. I was sure that if I saw that scar marked across his face, I wouldn't bring myself to look away from it.

He had been hurt. He was _here _and I didn't even help him! Why now of all weekends? Why Port Angeles of all cities? Why me of all people?

During the entire class, he never met my gaze, and neither did I. I felt a great void opening. It was my fault. I knew it was. If I had been there, none of this would have happened and it would have been just like any other day. I forced myself to look at his scarred face.

There was a jagged line across his forehead, underneath his hairline. He must have worked hard to keep that concealed. It looked like there had been stitches… maybe a shard of glass? I felt sick, the human kind of sick. For one instant, I knew what it felt like to throw up.

When the seventh period bell rang, he left without even a goodbye. I did the same and went to my last class, seeming transparent, more like a ghost than a vampire.

After school, I didn't even spare a glance at him as he drove off in his silver Volvo. I guess with his parents so rich, he could afford the Volvo. Instead of hopping into the canary Porsche, I sped off towards the distance, not planning on going home today, or ever as a matter of fact.


	10. Simple Word

Come on guys! I need feedback. There's been the same amount of reviews for about 3 weeks! As long as you're adding my story to your favorites, why not write a comment or two. Say what you liked about my story, what needs to be improved. Every voice is counted.

I stayed away from everyone for two days, hunting in the forests. By the time I was back at home, I could feel the sloshing of the warm blood circulating through me. I felt well-fed. The circles under my eyes were completely gone. For one instant, without the haunting purple bruises under my eyes, I almost looked human. I appreciated what I saw in the mirror before driving to school.

I didn't speak to Edward for two weeks. The situation completely shattered me and I couldn't stand forcing myself to look at him, and see his healing scar running diagonally across his forehead. Never would it be as smooth and flawless as before. I felt that same sickness as I had two weeks before.

My family noticed the abrupt change in my behavior. Most were concerned, other than, of course, Rosalie who sat there, amused at my pain over Edward. And I had to say, that didn't matter right now. I didn't care. I was too depressed to think of Rosalie's hatred towards me, or James on his way to kill us.

Edward didn't try to talk to me either. At this moment, more than ever, I wanted to know what he thought of me now. What was he thinking? It was driving me crazy.

I had moved back to my old table with my family. They didn't mention Edward, and I didn't bring him up. There was only Rosalie who enjoyed the silence. I guess she took this strange behavior as defeat. She had won.

Right before the sixth period bell rang, Edward turned to me for the first time in over two weeks.

"Can you stay after school?" he asked, uncomfortably. How bizarre…

"Um… why?" I asked, trying to interpret what he would need to talk about.

He wasn't very patient today. "Can you?" he asked roughly, still managing his voice to be velvety.

"Yes," I answered mutely. This wasn't his usual self. What could he have realized in these last two weeks that he hadn't known before?

"Thank you," he replied reluctantly. Then, he turned back to the board and not another word was spoken the entire period.

I was jittery throughout gym class. I had to concentrate extremely hard not to kick the soccer ball across the entire city. During gym, it was always harder to remain conspicuous.

Finally, the end of the day came with no more warning then the last bell of the day. I came outside to wait for Edward, but where would he be? My best bet was to look for his silver Volvo. I was busy scanning the parking lot when I heard footsteps approach me. I snapped my head in the other direction to see if I guessed right at who it was. I did.

He stood there, looking more pleasant than he did in Biology. He had his bag strapped over his right arm and his hand netted in his back pocket. There was nothing more beautiful than Edward in his khaki pants.

"Hi," he said shyly. I found my voice.

"Hi," I replied, my fingers tapping impatiently at my side.

"Can we walk?" he asked in a low voice. I was baffled.

"Sure."

As soon as we were beyond the school grounds, Edward turned to me. There was a frantic look in his eyes but his composure remained serene. He hesitated before telling me, "I figured it out."

I felt a lump in my throat.

"What?" I asked a pointless question. Of course I knew what.

"Everything. Why you don't eat. Why your appearance looks so pale. Why your eyes change color…" he added softly, timidly. My eyes widened. I didn't know he realized so much.

"And what have you concluded?" I asked, too formal to act casual.

There was growing silence splitting my ears in two. My breathing faltered in between every silent gesture he made with his eyes, or his lips…

I heard his heart picking up speed before he said the word that would change everything from this point on. My secluded life would be no more because of this simple word.

"Vampire."

I stopped breathing, and never began again.

He watched my reaction carefully, analyzing what would be my response.

"You figured this out all on your own?" I asked, my cracking voice breaking.

"Well… no. A couple days ago, the Quileute kids were telling stories around the fire down at La Push Beach. I was invited. They started telling of these creatures called the 'cold ones.'

"They mentioned your family and that got me thinking. I went home to research it on the computer."

"And?" I interjected.

"Well, a lot of the info was stupid. None of it fit."

"So?" I prodded, intensely interested now.

"So… I don't care what you are. I don't care if you're a vampire or a monster or whatever you call it. All I care about is… you."

My head began to flutter with this last word but the feeling didn't last.

I began laughing softly. He watched me with a quizzical expression.

"Why are you laughing?" he wondered.

My laughter cut off so I could answer his absurd question. "Do you value your life?"

"I don't understand," he answered flatly.

"You've seen all the movies right? What do you think vampires eat?"

I caught him there. He froze his stance.

"Would you hurt me?" he asked calmly.

"If I didn't have complete control of myself," I answered. This wasn't entirely true. I have been managing better, but at least it's better safe than sorry.

"Then you wouldn't," he translated.

"Don't have so much faith in me. I could slip," I said in a weak voice.

"I trust you," he added simply.

"Don't." I was furious.

"Can we change the subject to a more pleasant matter?" he asked with an unsteady heart rate.

"Like what," I answered, still angry.

"Like… about vampires."

What was so great about damn vampires? I was one. "What do you need to know?"

"Is it true that you only come out at night?"

"Not necessarily," I answered, my arms fold across my chest. "Most carnivorous vampires do."

"What do you mean by carnivorous?" he asked completely confused.

"Oh." It was different having someone outside that didn't know any of this. "Well, our family is considered vegetarians because we don't drink human blood."

"Then what do you drink?" he inquired.

"Animal blood," I said, smiling a large, white-toothed grin. This sent him shivering. I could see it clear. He shook off his sudden chills.

"So wait… when do you sleep if not in the day?"

I rolled my eyes. "Hollywood's version doesn't get it much right."

He waited for further explanation.

"I don't sleep," I summarized.

"Never?"

"No, not at all."

"Then what is your coffin used for?"

There was a lot of explaining to be told to this poor, clueless boy. Finally… explaining!

I smiled at him and shook my head back and forth.

***

After I convinced Edward that NO vampire had a coffin, he began to pick things up more easily.

"Why don't you go out into the sunlight then, if you won't get burned?" he asked as he stared out into the gray, churning sky. We were walking by the cliffs now.

"We can't because if we did, people would see us for what we truly are," I said, kicking a pebble lightly off the cliff.

"What do you mean?" he asked, as if he had given up on whatever my answer could mean.

I pondered over this for a minute. "I'll show you sometime."

He considered this and just shrugged his shoulders.

"So, other than that, you are just a regular person?" he tried.

"Hardly!" I laughed, "There is nothing human about me."

"I believed you were human," he protested, suddenly serious.

"It's easy to believe what the mind could calm. You don't want to look too closely," I answered, shrugging.

He looked down and didn't say anything for a while as we walked down the pebbled road.

"What else can you do?" he finally asked, after a period of silence.

I contemplated this for a minute. "I can run with immense speed," I started a list.

He interrupted, "Really? Can… you show me?"

I smiled to myself. "Sure."

At that second, I ran twenty feet westward and stopped at a tree where he could see me. I climbed up on it and then jumped two feet out and landed lightly on the balls of my feet. I had a big, goofy grin on my face. He was speechless. Then, without any warning, I ran back to his side and tapped his shoulder. In response, he jumped, and I laughed lightly. This happened in the matter of three seconds. He laughed nervously after me. My smile suddenly vanished.

"Am I scaring you?" I asked, serious now.

"No, no. It's just a little shocking. I never imagined you so… powerful," he struggled to find the right word.

It made sense. "Well, around you, I'm not as powerful as I seem."

He chuckled. "That's okay with me," he laughed.

We began to head back, towards the parking lot of the school. On the way back, Edward was silent. This silence was not content silence; not natural. Something was wrong. It made me nervous.

Behind the trees of the school, he finally turned to me. His heart seemed to be increasing speed.

I asked, "Why is your heart racing like it is?"

He became distracted by my comment. "How did you know?"

"My hearing is very acute as well," I answered sheepishly.

He didn't answer. Instead he started the words that would have made my heart explode from the excitement I responded with.

"What would happen if I… tried to kiss you?" he questioned, pain in his eyes.

There were so many things I wanted to tell him. I want to, too. That would be amazing.

"I'm sorry," I answered, croaking out the words. His face fell.

"Oh, that's fine. I was just asking." My dead heart cracked in two. Why did I say that? I can't take it back now. "I guess I should get back home."

I didn't answer him.

He raced away in his Volvo while I stood there, not moving an inch. The rain had already begun and was pelting against my skin, leaving me thoroughly wet. That didn't matter to me. I stood in the never ending rain, waiting for the weakened sun to shine through the clouds.

It never did.


	11. Planning

I finally came home, my rubber shoes squeaking against the wooden floor. I mopped the floor with my feet as I went to dump myself on the sofa. Esme and Carlisle sat at the dining table-which, obviously was only for show- while Alice and Jasper sat on the staircase, scheming for when James decided to drop by.

Rosalie was on the piano, playing away a soft, beautiful song; one which I recognized almost instantly. She played all of her favorite songs often.

I had always been jealous of Rosalie. She was extremely beautiful; as that wasn't enough. Now, she was an amazing piano player. I was never musically gifted. There was no shot at me in that department.

Emmett was away, hunting by himself. So now there was no one to brighten the mood and laugh saying, "What happened Bella? Drowned in a lake?"

Every pair of eyes followed me as I walked over to the couch. It felt strangely uncomfortable to be watched. Rosalie stopped playing and everyone had quieted down. Was I going to be the center of attention today?

When I sat down, there was still silence. I was finally the one to break it.

"Don't mind me," I said icily. "Go about your business."

"Bella," Alice said heartbrokenly. "I think he needs to know now."

I was immediately knocked out of my fixed trance.

"Why? What did you see Alice?" I asked, leaning out of my chair.

"He's here," she answered in a defeated voice.

"In Forks?" I questioned, devastated.

"No, not yet," she said in a muted, flat voice. "He's in Seattle, but getting close."

I shrunk back into my seat and replied, "Oh," overwhelmed at the idea of him being so close that he could catch Edward right in the palm of his hand.

I suddenly remembered of Edward. "Oh," I realized, louder this time. "We need to take him away; we need to protect him; we need to…"

"And what? Steal him away in the night? Leave his poor uncle going mad looking for him? He'll be missed Bella," Jasper contradicted, standing up.

I looked at him and scoffed unbelievingly. I turned my head away.

"Bella," Esme called. "You know that we do care for Edward's safety. Whether or not he knows it, he's part of our family now. But we can't take him away from his uncle. I've talked to his uncle. Alex Masen really does care for his nephew."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" I asked feebly. No one answered. I began my monologue again. "Look, I've already let him get hurt because of me. It killed me for two and a half weeks. It's still hard for me to talk about it. I don't want Edward in any danger. Is it so hard to protect him unnoticeably?"

Carlisle answered this time. "Well, there is a way. When James is closer, maybe you can convince Edward to tell his uncle that he would be going on a camping trip with us. He could leave a note…"

"And give him one of our numbers, just incase he gets worried. Maybe mine. I believe I could calm him down," Esme interjected in a soft, sure voice.

"Yes, we could keep him away with one of us until the battle would be over," Jasper finished.

Rosalie was part the discussion for the first time in a long time. "Alice, why did you wait to tell us?"

Alice looked at me gravely. "I thought Bella should know first."

"Well, you could have told us before Emmett left." Of course.

Carlisle commanded in a compassionate tone, "Get Emmett on the phone. Tell him to get back home."

I didn't breathe, for fear that I would start hyperventilating. Imagine that; a vampire hyperventilating.

"We need to call the Denali clan. They would definitely be a helping hand," Jasper used his military perspective.

Alice and Jasper whipped out their phones and began talking rapidly through the phone.

I was the only one frozen.


End file.
